When the Mountains Fall
by StarWarrior72
Summary: Darth Vader calls on Mara Jade to free his son from Imperial prison, conflicting with the Emperor's orders to keep him there. Mara chooses to free him, and return him to his father, but she knows there are likely to be consequences.
1. Chapter 1

Trigger warnings for illness, uncleanliness, abuse. Let me know if I missed any!

.

When the mountains fall,

And all the buildings rust,

It's only love,

And us,

-Sam Tsui, Love And Us

(A quote which will become more relevant.)

.

The stormtrooper whose shoulder Luke had been hanging off of suddenly released the young Jedi, shoving him into his cell, as the door clanged shut behind him. Immediately, his legs nearly buckled, and he grabbed onto one of the bars, gripping it tightly as he gave his head a quick shake, hoping to clear it.

The galaxy promptly spun even faster, and he let himself slide to the floor, sure he was about to pass out. Crossing his legs, he leaned forwards, pushing his face into his hands, struggling to stay conscious as his stomach churned.

Finally, taking tiny sips of air, he managed to look up, and around the barren room once more. Looking back outside, he was relieved to note that the stormtrooper hadn't stayed around to watch him collapse. Clinging to his cell bars with all the strength he still possessed, he managed to drag himself upright, and stumble to the metal bench, which he collapsed onto, tugging vaguely at his boots.

Once he'd pulled one off, he gave up, deflating in exhaustion, his eyelids too heavy to support any longer.

He was a bit unclear by now how long he'd been in prison, but he'd also stopped caring. There wasn't much of a point keeping track anymore, since it wouldn't get him out any sooner, and it was likely that his friends had already stopped searching for him. All that mattered now was knowing when it was worth trying to sleep, although Luke had lost track of that too.

Regardless, now was feeling like a great time to sleep, he decided, listening silently to the cold quiet of the prison.

There was a sudden clunk, and Luke's eyes flew open, only to be met with darkness. Right. The overdramatic lights. He rolled his eyes at himself, how had he forgotten?

 _Probably the exhaustion messing with my brain_ , he decided, tugging off his other boot finally, before trying to drift off again.

He had nearly left the prison behind when he could have sworn he heard something in the pitch blackness. He started upright, trying to peer through the dark, but he couldn't even spot the bars, a mere few feet in front of his face.

He scooted back against the wall, realizing sleep wouldn't be coming anytime soon with the threat of the stranger, and sat in silence, staring through the darkness, until he was _certain_ he heard another footfall.

"Who's there?" he called through the dark, only to be immediately met with a sudden swat through the Force.

Barely managing to catch himself before he could fall to the cement floor below, he silenced himself again, shivering. He had no idea who had decided to show up, but one thing was for sure. Only Dark Siders knew how to use the Force, other than himself.

Assuming that there'd been a change in the interrogation schedule or something, he found his boots, and began to pull them back on.

The door to his cell clanged open, and he heard a soft swear.

Managing to get his boot over his uncooperative heel, he whispered, "Mara?"

"Shut up, Skywalker," she snarled at him, her voice so quiet he could barely hear it, before she took a step into the cell, and accidentally stepped his foot.

"Force, do you want to wake all the guards?" she hissed, kicking again at the toe of his boot, "You walk like a bantha."

"What's it to you if we wake everyone up?" Luke asked, keeping his voice low as well.

"Just take them back off, laser brain," she said.

Annoyed in spite of himself, Luke did as he was told, "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Just follow me," Mara said, grabbing him by the back of his shirt, and pushing him towards the door.

Managing to stay on his feet, Luke kept ahead of her, navigating the hallways by memory, the Force suppression drugs still running through his system preventing him from seeing through the dark.

"Left," Mara said suddenly from behind him, and as he attempted to follow her direction, he walked into the wall, having never taken the specified path before.

Mara grabbed his shirt again, pushing him down her chosen hallway as he decided they were probably far enough from the guards that it'd be safe to speak, "What are you doing?"

"That's none of your business," she said, still guiding him by the scruff of his neck.

"Well, you're taking me with you," he argued, "So I think it is."

She spun him around sharply, and he nearly flew off his feet as she jabbed something under his ribs, "I'd shut up, if I were you."

She withdrew, and with a familiar sound, her lightsaber blazed through the darkness, and Luke realized that it was what she'd stuck in his ribs.

Remembering suddenly that Mara was someone better left alone once she was annoyed, Luke fell silent, merely following the purple glow of her lightsaber through the silent prison, until he suddenly saw light ahead, and promptly forgot about being quiet, "What are you _doing?"_

Mara turned sharply, and nearly cut him in half, presumably by accident, "If you _have_ to know, your father and the Emperor have given me _opposing_ orders on you, and I have enough of a headache from _that_ without your help."

"What orders?" Luke asked.

"Vader wants you alive," she said, stepping behind him, and giving him a well aimed kick to get him moving again, "And Palpatine would rather see you dead than free. You're just lucky I _like_ you."

Luke couldn't hold back a snort of amusement, "You _like_ me? I thought you didn't like _anyone_."

Mara's blade came dangerously close to his neck, and he ducked away as she said, "Don't tempt me."

"I'm done," he promised, holding up his hands in surrender as they finally reached the door, and Mara pushed him off to one side, looking out quickly, before grabbing him and tugging him after her once more, as she dashed across the landing platform, Luke stumbling after her, the suddenness starting to wear off, leaving him even more tired than he had been before.

As they made it to the top of the ramp of her ship, Luke found himself suddenly released, and barely managed to stay on his feet for long enough to reach the cockpit with her, quickly strapping himself in, before suddenly catching a glimpse of the Force, and reaching out for it, drawing strength from it as Mara began prepping the ship for take off.

Letting out a slow breath, he opened his eyes to find the galaxy rearranging itself properly before him.

After taking a moment to make sure it wasn't just going to swim back into oblivion, he turned to Mara, who was moving quickly around the cockpit, already about to take off, "Need any help?" he asked.

"Frankly," she said, not turning to look at him, "I was hoping you'd collapse in the hold."

"I guess I'll just sit here, quietly," he said finally, folding his arms, and looking out of the cockpit.

"Please do," she said through gritted teeth, sitting down, and wrenching the controls skywards as the ship jumped.

"Woah!" Luke protested, his arms springing free of each other, despite himself, "What are you _doing?"_

"I thought you were supposed to be some sort of fighter pilot," she said.

"I _am_ , but," he began, as the ship suddenly jumped again, and Luke recognized the turbulence as shots.

" _Then you should kriffing recognize combat!"_ she shouted, as they shot for the open sky, and it was all Luke could do to keep himself from trying to help stabilize the ship, staring wildly at the readouts. So far, they had miraculously not been hit too hard, and he was just beginning to pray that it would _stay_ that way, when his seat suddenly dropped out from under him, and his eyes leapt back to the display.

Still fine.

He turned wildly to Mara, just as they banked ninety degrees, and nearly took a row of outside lighting off of an apartment building.

"What are you doing?" he asked again, "You can't fly down here!"

Mara didn't answer, swinging the ship wide around a corner, and out of range of the turbolasers that had been firing on them. A glance back, however, told Luke that, far from being in the clear, their distance had only begun a pursuit. Screeching through the planet-wide city behind them was a small unit of TIE fighters.

"Why are they chasing us?" he demanded, looking to Mara, "Aren't they on your side?"

Considering the ways the Force could manifest, Luke reflected, it was entirely possible that he wasn't imagining that he could see the exasperation rolling off of her, "No, laser brain, because if they were, you wouldn't be sitting there."

"Right," he muttered, unfastening himself, "Does that mean I'm allowed to shoot back?"

"Anything to get you out of my hair," Mara muttered, and Luke started to walk back to find the weapons just as the ship bucked once more, nearly sending him flying into the ceiling.

"That was intentional!" he complained, without any real anger, as he grabbed the back of her chair tightly, and began to work his way back towards the guns.

"I could have done worse," he heard Mara mutter, as he managed to get his footing once more, and barely got to the gunner's seat before Mara took off on another chaotic, twisting path. Strapping himself in just before she turned a full aileron roll, he grabbed the spinning controls, and spun them back to the incoming TIEs, quickly destroying one, before several hairpin turns lost the rest.

Nonetheless, it would probably be for the best to stay with the guns, in case they found them again. With a yawn, he decided that it'd probably also help his chances of surviving a flight with Mara. Not to mention, it would be an opportunity to get some sleep.

Really, no downsides to this arrangement at all, he thought, closing his eyes, and making sure that the Force would alert him to approaching fighters, before falling comfortably unaware.

"SKYWALKER!"

Luke jumped, and spun to find Mara poking her head into the gunner's pod, "What?" he demanded.

"I thought you got shot off the ship," she snorted, standing up, and heading back towards the cockpit.

Luke hauled himself out after her, "Well, obviously I haven't been! What was the point of waking me up?"

"If you're going to let me believe I've lost the _one_ thing both my Master, and your father demand, I'm afraid I'm not too concerned about your sleep," she shot back.

"And I've certainly _never_ been caused any pain by your empire!" Luke shouted after her, running to catch up, "Or by you in particular," he added, feeling vindicated by his bruises.

Mara sat down in the pilot's seat, "Besides, we've arrived," she said.

Coming into the cockpit as well, Luke found himself frozen, staring out at the towering building ahead of them as Mara began to bank to set down on the large landing platform.

Seeming to realize that he hadn't sat down yet, she turned to look at him with a mischievous look on her face, "Did you forget where we were going, Skywalker?"

Luke shook his head, still feeling stunned, "Never really thought about it…"

Mara returned her attention to piloting, "Well, if you can tone down the annoyance to about fifty percent, you should survive the week."

Luke sank into his seat, still blinking vaguely at the castle, "Thanks. That's really reassuring."

The ship set down lightly, and there was a sudden loud, abrasive beeping noise, which Mara growled at, before answering it. Immediately, a small hologram of Vader popped up, and Luke stopped breathing.

"Agent Jade," he rumbled, "I trust you managed not to kill him?"

"He makes it difficult," Mara said, setting the ship down, and fortunately not directing Vader's attention to Luke, who had shrunk even farther from the pick-up, although he was fairly certain he was already not visible to his father.

"I would expect nothing less," Vader answered, "See him to his quarters, I will speak to him in the morning. After that, I would speak to you."

"Actually, no, you wouldn't," Mara said, with shockingly little respect, "I'm only staying long enough to drop him off."

"Is that so," Vader said, but to Luke's surprise, he made no attempt to insist, "Give him some explanation, I do not wish for him to panic."

"That's why I'm your _favourite_ messenger," Mara said sarcastically, flicking off the holoprojector and standing, "Come on, Skywalker."

Luke stood up, following her, still somewhat stunned, "You talked back to him," he said, "And he didn't kill you."

"If he did that, he'd lose one of his best agents," Mara said flatly, stepping out onto the landing platform, and heading for the massive doors without pause. They opened before her, and she stepped in, without looking around at the dark, empty space.

Luke, however, had to pause to try to take in the strange room. He had assumed Vader simply lived on his flagship, or something, although this wasn't exactly _unexpected_ from the Sith. Nope, it was big and ominous enough to belong to him, for sure.

"I thought you'd be glad to avoid him for the night," Mara said sardonically, and Luke looked back down from the ceiling to look at her.

"What do you mean?"

"He _does_ walk around his castle," she said, and Luke nodded quickly, hurrying after her, as she lead him into a smaller room, dominated by a large sphere.

"What's that?" he hissed at her, feeling a need to be quiet as he stared at the dark shape, looming into all but the corners of the room.

She lead him around the sphere, their shoulders nearly brushing its curve until they reached a door. Stepping inside, she quickly pointing to another door, "You have extra clothes," she said, before indicating another door, "And a personal 'fresher. I'll be locking you in, and you can lock Vader out in return."

"What?" Luke asked, turning quickly towards her, but he'd already missed her, and all he saw was the door closing after her, followed by a dull thud of the lock.

"Alright, then," he muttered to himself, going to the door as well, and locking it from his side too.

Turning back to the room, he let out a sigh. He was in Vader's castle, but he was also stuck, so he'd deal with that in the morning. For now, he hadn't changed or showered in at least a week. At the moment, he was more worried about getting some sleep, though.

He headed over to the bed, and flopped down, closing his eyes for a moment, only to find he lacked the energy to open them again. Yawning, he pulled a pillow under his head, completely ignoring that the lights were still on, too exhausted to care.


	2. Chapter 2

Luke rolled out of bed with a vague, but certain feeling that he had missed morning. Probably by a long shot. Yawning, he blinked around the room, sorting the last night out somewhat as he stood up, and went to find the clothes Mara had directed him to.

For a moment, he considered changing immediately, and going to explore the castle some more, before remembering that that would likely hurry how soon he met Vader again.

Shaking his head at himself, he stepped into the adjoining 'fresher, dropping his bundle of clothes on the sink as he looked around curiously. He'd known Vader had more money than the man could ever spend, but investigating the features of the room, he was amused to find out just how subtly it could manifest.

Real water, for one thing. Although that could be pretty common on some planets, he reflected, as he turned on the tap to a trickle, and watched it tracing over his hand, dripping back into the drain, as though it were worthless.

Strange, to see it wasted so easily. On Tatooine, there would have been at least ten different failsafes in the sinks of even the richest of the population to avoid this kind of usage. But Vader was allowed to do what he wanted in any situation, wasn't he? Even if water _wasn't_ plentiful here, the Sith would undoubtably have easy enough access.

Feeling somewhat guilty, he quickly turned the tap off, resolving to make sure that it wasn't just another example of Vader's lack of regard for life.

He showered quickly, before pulling on the fresh clothes, and trying to towel his hair dry, at least slightly. Looking at himself in the mirror, he sighed. He looked like himself again, dressed in old Tatooine styled clothes, and his hair sticking up in odd directions from his attempts to dry it. Why had Vader given him these clothes? Why not the dark tunic he'd adopted since Bespin, a grim reminder of their relationship? In fact, why not an imperial uniform?

And why had Vader freed him to begin with? What plans did the Sith have in store?

Vader wasn't a manipulative man, Luke thought, at least not subtly. Perhaps he was truly trying to help him feel at home?

He set the towel aside, and stepped back into the bedroom, heading for the door. It would probably be for the best to try to _find_ Vader, and speak to him. Perhaps he'd be able to learn something from the man himself.

As the door opened, he found the great sphere that had intrigued him the night before open, and Vader sitting in the centre of it.

For a heartbeat, Jedi and Sith merely looked at each other, before Luke slammed his door shut again, backing away from it slowly.

Of course Vader wasn't going to leave him to his own devices! Of course the Sith would keep him as close as possible!

 _Okay, Luke_ , he thought, slowly letting out a breath, _Calm down. He got you out of prison, he let you lock him out… he's not going to kill you on sight._

He took a deep breath, standing up straight, and trying to seem calm. He was a _Jedi_ , for the Force's sake! He could face Vader calmly, and find out what was going on!

He palmed the door activation, and quickly stepped out into the larger room, looking at the Sith, who merely watched him impassively.

"Father," he greeted at last, and Vader gave the slightest of nods.

"Son."

After another long moment of silence, Luke slowly stepped forwards, the door to his room closing behind him as he looked at his father, sitting in the centre of the clam-like shape.

Finally, Vader spoke once more, sounding impatient, "Step nearer, there is no reason to hesitate there."

Startled, Luke stepped forwards hurriedly, entering what he now recognized as a hyperbaric chamber, "Why did you bring me here?"

Vader's hand shifted over the controls in the arm of his chair, and the clam shell began to close once more, and Luke nearly attempted to dodge back out. Feeling his father's Force-grip on his arm, he remained still, as the chamber closed with a final sounding clunk.

Another few taps of Vader's fingers, and a bench rose from the floor behind him. Uncertainly, Luke sat, as his father surveyed him once more. He felt an inquisitive brush against his mind, and promptly snapped down shields before the Sith, at which the feeling changed to tempered amusement.

"I am pleased to see that your time in prison has done nothing to change your stubborn and unhelpful nature," Vader rumbled.

Luke shrugged slightly, feeling uncertain in the face of this wholly different Vader, "Made me worse, if anything."

Vader gave what had to be a chuckle, and suddenly stood up, coming to walk around Luke. Luke jolted up as well, refusing to leave his back to Vader.

Vader turned back to his chair, sitting down with noticeable relief, as Luke remained standing, feeling flighty still.

"I do not intend to harm you," Vader intoned, and Luke felt he had been issued an order to sit once more. Instead, he stepped closer to the Sith, looking closely at his mask. He'd heard of people catching a glimpse of the man below, through the eye plates…

"You wish to see what is below my mask?" Vader asked, sounding almost incredulous.

"Well, you can see my face!" Luke defended, although he took a step back, and sat once more.

"That I can," Vader answered, "Although I doubt that you truly wish to see mine."

"Try me," Luke challenged, crossing his arms as he watched the Sith.

Again, Vader chuckled, and large, spindly arms descended from the ceiling, surrounding his helmet for a moment, before there was a sharp hiss, and they withdrew, as the pod suddenly filled with a mix of gasses unfamiliar to Luke. For a moment, Luke saw only a mass of scarred, pale flesh where he'd expected his father's face to be, and wondered if he might only be having a nightmare, before he realized that Vader wasn't looking at him. Rather, the Sith's gaze seemed to be transfixed on his own knees, before he slowly raised it to meet Luke's.

"Satisfied?" he asked, in a thin, rasping voice.

Luke met his yellow eyes for a moment, taking in the scarring to his face, and the mess of electronics that dominated from his mouth downwards, before he nodded.

"I'm afraid you will have to move somewhat closer," Vader said, and Luke stood once more, as another bench raised from the floor nearer to the man, "If you wish for me to see you."

Stepping forwards, he recognized Vader's eyes slowly focusing on him. Slowly, the Sith blinked, before a smile came over what was visible of his face, though it looked painful.

As Luke settled on the new bench, Vader's moved to gently cup his cheek in his hand, "You look so like her. Like both of them."

"Like who?" Luke asked, unmoving, although he felt reasonably sure he could guess.

Vader smiled again, "Like your mother." He said, before his thick glove slipped into Luke's hair, and carefully twisted up a lock of hair, "And your father."

In spite of himself, Luke smiled slightly in return, before pulling back, "Listen, this is all great, but don't you have anything to explain to me?"

Vader shook his head, "Haven't you become a model Jedi."

"I just-!" Luke began defensively, but Vader shook his head again, gesturing slightly.

"I am impressed that you have gained this level of focus."

"It's not as though you're lacking in it!" Luke said.

"Perhaps not now," Vader said, "But as a boy, it would have been a miracle to tear me away from something so important to me."

"Knowing what you're up to is important too," Luke said, trying to guide the conversation back on track.

Vader merely gave him an amused look, and said lightly, "I did not believe you were be enjoying prison."

"But why would that matter to you _now_ of all times?" Luke asked, beginning to get frustrated.

"I know that I have made mistakes," Vader began slowly, meeting Luke's eyes once more.

"Yes, you have," Luke agreed, waiting for him to continue.

Vader sighed. "Unforgivable mistakes. But I did not wish to fail you any farther."

Luke deflated somewhat, sitting down on the floor before his father, before shaking his head slowly, "I just… I just don't understand how you could come to this realization all of a sudden."

Vader covered his face with his hand, and sat for several moments in a silence Luke couldn't bring himself to break.

"I've already failed your mother in every imaginable way," Vader croaked at last, "I wished to change the universe for the two of you… but my attempts have only harmed you. I believe it is time for me to step back from the galactic stage… and focus on you alone."

"Step back?" Luke asked, alarmed, "You're just going to LEAVE the galaxy like this?"

Vader's hand snapped away from his face, and he met Luke's eyes with a glare, "Just _look_ at what I've done, trying to improve it, Luke!"

"You can't just give up!" Luke said, grasping his father's hand suddenly, "You _know_ you can't just fade into the background! The emperor would _find_ you, Father. You know he would."

Vader's gaze fell to their hands, and he squeezed back gently, as Luke suddenly felt something gentle touch his mind. Wordless, he realized it was Vader, as it sat quietly against his mind.

His father's presence slowly wrapped around him, quiet and seeming to request that Luke give him some time to think about what he'd said, and for now, to simply be with him.

Feeling safe in the warm presence, he closed his eyes, slipping into meditation, bonded tightly with his father, who seemed to be doing the same, as the galaxy faded away from them, and all that was left was their invisible, intertwined presences.


End file.
